-- out of breath and running through a dark stone maze.

　There should be no light source, but I can see my surroundings clearly, and I'm certain that someone is chasing me, even though there should be no one around.

　The person running was 'me', no more than ten years old.

　I just keep running and running and running.

　As I turned the corner, the floor collapsed and the bottomless darkness opened its mouth.

　I had a feeling that someone was catching up with me from behind, so I turned a different corner than before and kept running.

　However, a dead end (dead end) stands in my path.

　When I looked back in a hurry, "I" was right under my nose.

　The same "I" from the other side had the appearance of a young child, but the way it looked at me with its eyes wide open and laughing to the limit, I could only assume it was a monster in human form.

''I got you.''

　As soon as the other 'I' whispered that, I woke up from my slumber as if I was being pulled out of the depths of the sea.










I'm dreaming of .......

　I slouched up in bed, opened the shutters and let the morning sunshine wash over me.

　I occasionally dream about my days wandering the labyrinth, but that was a variation of my first experience with the quicksand.

　I'm not old enough to be afraid of dreams that are like ghost stories, but the banality and abruptness of them makes me shut down.

　I'm more worried about myself having such dreams than the content of my dreams.

　As I looked up at the sky with that thought in mind, I noticed that the sun was a little higher than usual.

'Did I oversleep a bit?'

　When I hurried out of the room, Garnett was just getting breakfast ready.

'Oh, you're late. That's unusual.

　Round bread with a little more smoked meat and cheese slices, plus some dried fruit.

　It is a menu that gives a glimpse of Garnett's upbringing in the fact that he doesn't settle for bread alone so easily.

''I was reading the papers that arrived from the Silver Wing Knights, and it was getting really late to bed.
'Oh, the upcoming Green Hollow security plan, right? It's very Felix-like in its f*cking seriousness.
'I know it's not that, but I'm having some weird dreams, and this day isn't looking good.
Yeah?　What's the dream?

　I sat across from him at the dining room table, eating my food and letting him tell me about his dreams this morning by digging up vague memories.

　Garnett listened to the story with the attitude of enjoying a not-so-scary ghost story.

　And just as I finish telling the story, he leans in with a prankster's face.

You're probably possessed by a strange ghost in the labyrinth or something, aren't you?　You know, like, possessing me soundlessly in my sleep and .......
Don't do it, you can't deny it.

　With that joke in mind, we finished our breakfast and began to prepare for the opening of the store.

　There are three employees officially working at the White Wolf Store.
　Among them, the first one to come to work was the newest one, Alexia.

''Good morning, Luke-kun!　Where can I start helping you?
Yeah, good morning. Well, I need you to clean out the merchandise rack.
Yes, sir.

　In the meantime, I bring a small bag full of silver and copper coins from the safe and put them in the drawer at the checkout counter.

　Since the change comes and goes during the checkout process, I have to have a good amount of small coins ready to go, or I'll be in trouble later.

By the way, Luke. By the way, Luke and Garnett are the only two people who live in this store, aren't they? They also deal in incredibly rare metals, so is it safe for security?

　Alexia asked me about that while I was cleaning the product shelves.

　Alexia has only been working here for a short period of time, so sometimes she doesn't even understand the things we take for granted.

　It's a manager's duty to explain things properly at times like this.

The vault where the mithril is stored is on loan from the palace, and there are many tricks to prevent it from being taken out easily. "The vault in which the mithril is stored is lent from the palace and has many tricks to prevent it from being easily removed, both physically and magically.
'Heh, ...... but that doesn't mean you're unguarded except for mithril.
'Naturally. I've got the keys on a solid one, and I've got Noir readying them with wards and witchcraft, so I'm sure it won't be easy to sneak in.

　As soon as I explained that, Alexia stopped working with a snap.

'When you say ...... noir, you're the noir working in this shop. A black wizard and former member of the brave party.''
'I don't think there's another noir in Green Hollow,'
Can that person also make magic tools?　Not just [black magic]!
Who the hell do you think makes merchandise amulets?

　For some reason, Alexia is sounding excited.

　Aside from the fact that she didn't know, where in the world was the element of excitement?

It's a good thing that it's dark under the lamppost....... Ah, the ideas that were only conceived and salted away....... It's just a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get up close and personal with a mage craftsman! ......!

　I take back my previous statement. There was only the element of excitement for this guy.

　It seems that the large crossbow (Scorpion) that he brought with him in this dispatch was a weapon that worked purely with physical finesse, but there were a number of prototype weapons before that that that incorporated magic tools.

　But basically, magical tools are something that wizards sell on a whim in order to make money.

　Because they are not always in circulation when you need them, and the prices are not always stable, I used to see people fretting about them when I was organizing a party.

　If he could personally befriend a wizard who could create magic tools, there was a good chance that he would be able to create the magic tools and magical devices he desired.

''Manager, good morning.''
...... Good morning .......

　At exactly the right moment, Noir and Erica came to work together from the kitchen door.

　Before I could even direct a word at Alexia, she ran to the kitchen door with her eyes shining.

''Noir-san!　I'd like to talk to you about-- geez!

　Immediately after that, Garnett grabbed Alexia's collar from behind to stop her from moving, then grabbed her around the waist and threw her back with a pop.

　But the movements of the thrower as well as the thrown party were light, and Alexia landed without any danger before quickly bowing her head.

'Clean it up,'
Yes, I'm sorry.

　Quick decision, quick action. And immediate reflection.
　Alexia is still the same, even after all these years since she was a rookie.

　For now, I've decided to ask Noir, who hasn't been able to swallow the situation as if it were swallowed up, and Erica, who had her arms outstretched to protect her, to help me with the morning's work.










　-- and so the day began, a day that should have been uneventful.

　But no one knew now that this was the beginning of the last peaceful day in the Demon King's War --